Iwoke up this morning with several missed calls from my sisters. Immediately, I knew something was wrong. Instead of calling them back, I just rushed right over there. Only to get there and I didn’t even want to get out of the car. The only reason I didn’t call Zoo and Sin, is because I hadn't gone into details with them about what was going on with my mama, and I didn’t feel like talking about it right now. I just want to make sure she’s good.
Zoo knew, but only to an extent. Shit, he knew just about as much as I did because I was still waiting to ask more questions. May seem childish, but when it came to my mama, I'd always be puddy in her little fragile hands. My family dynamics was one that some would pray for. We rarely fell out and if we did, that shit would be squashed quick.
We weren’t raised to go against each other but to always have each other's back. Zoo and I stayed going at it but it was all out of love and only to push the other one to greatness because sometimes we lost focus. I needed someone to come push me out this car right now. It felt like my legs were cemented to the floorboard.
Bronx:I’m pulling up behind your truck.
Exhaling, I got out then walked over to Bri’s Range Rover. It was still clean from me taking it to get detailed the other day; shit that I wouldn’t normally do because I had no one to do that shit for. Or no one that I wanted to do it for anyway.
“You ok?” Her eyes held so much sympathy, and she didn’t know what was going on. It was just the simple act of caring that she’d shown me since I told her about my mama.
“Yea just nervous to go inside.”
“I got you, come on.”
Bri had on this sexy ass two-piece fit. Some shit that I’d seen my cousins wear when they were about to get drunk off Mimosa’s and shots at Brunch.
“Where you headed somewhere?”
“To a party,” she casually said.
“I didn’t mean to fuck up ya plans. You don’t have to go inside with me. I’ll be good, shawty. Go ‘head and enjoy yourself.”
“Brooklyn Smith, if you don’t come on. You act like this my mama, and you scared to meet her. She’s your mom. Man up and face whatever the issue is. You are too damn old to be acting like this.”
I stopped walking to get a good look at her.
“Bronx, have you ever lost your best friend before?”
“Yes, Papi was my best friend.”
“Wait, when did your dad die?”
Her face scrunched up like I said something offensive.
“I was talking about my pet Iguana. My dad got him from some Mexicans in an alley, so I just named him Papi.” Hunching her shoulders, she then started to laugh.
“I’m being serious. Have you?”
“I was being serious, too, but since you don’t see Papi as my best friend then I guess no, I haven’t lost a best friend before, Brooklyn.”
“My mama is that to me plus more. I’ve always been able to come to her with anything that’s going on. From me waiting to fuck for the first time, to this one pregnancy scare I had. Turns out, the bitch was just trying to trap me ‘cause she knew my folks had money. My mama shut that shit down quick. She’s always in my corner and it just fucks me up to think of her not being there anymore.”
“But she’s here now. So, hang on to that while you can. It’s ok to be in your feelings but you gotta know when to get out of them. I didn’t mean any harm when I said man up. It’s just that you are terrified to go into your own parents’ home because you feel like your mom is doing bad. That doesn’t make sense to me. This is the time you should be by her side like spaghetti and fish because besides what some Black folks think, they do indeed go together.”
“You’re right. I’ll pull it together. Let’s go inside.” Some niggas were too tough to cry but when it came to my parents, oh a nigga would let the waterworks flow.
Reaching for her hand, I opened the door. I didn’t see anyone, but the back door was wide open. Figuring my dad was out there by his man cave, we headed that way first.
“SURPRISE!” my family yelled out as soon as I pushed the screen door open.
“Happy birthday, Cuzzo,” Sin told me then passed me a beer.
“Nigga, why it look like you been crying? Birthday got you feeling emotional or something?”
With everything that was going on, I swear I forgot today was my birthday.
“Zoo just say happy birthday and move, I was not crying.” I was, but he ain’t have to say that shit.
